We’re all going supernuts for almonds

Soya can get stuffed. Almonds are the miracle food knocking the bean off its healthy top spot, says Miranda Bryant

Monday 14 April 2014 09:33 BST

From the outside, an almond looks pretty ordinary. But thanks to its huge list of superpower claims — slimming, beautifying and, according to one study, life-extending — this humble nut is causing a stir on the power-food scene.

Experts say the dominance of almonds is down to a growing demand for tasty, natural, low-calorie, high- protein foods and a move away from soya-based products. “One of the reasons people seem to be loving almonds is because they’re one of the lower-calorie nuts and they are a good source of fatty acids,” says nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston, founder of health consultancy Food for Life. “And of course they make nice milk. We all know that we shouldn’t be having so much dairy and there’s so much soya these days, so people are looking for an alternative milk to drink.”

Indeed, almonds are now the UK’s second-most popular nut and, as word of its supernut status spreads, could pose a threat to the once mighty soya bean. In the US, where the almond trend started, WhiteWave Foods recently reported that for the first time sales of its almond milk have exceeded soya milk.

Growing demand is fuelling new businesses in the capital, such as organic raw-almond milk producer The Pressery in east London and nut butter company Pip & Nut, set to launch this summer. Dalston-based Blend&Press uses almond milk with vanilla bean, date, cinnamon and Himalayan pink salt to delicious effect in its “strengthening and satisfying” Replenish smoothie.

Latest food stories

They can be spread on toast as a paste, ground into flour, drunk as milk or simply au naturel as a snack. Health-conscious Londoners can’t get enough of them. Model Miranda Kerr is a fan. She reportedly “rarely” leaves the house without a bag of Tamari (wheat-free soy sauce) almonds.

But why? Well, they’re a good source of Vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, fibre, copper, phosphorous and riboflavin, as well as being appetite-suppressing, low in saturated fat, high in “good” unsaturated fat (one ounce, or 23 whole almonds, contains 13 grams) and cholesterol-free. Almonds have fewer calories than they do nutrients. To get the full benefit they should be soaked overnight and sun-dried to aid digestion and help release the nutrients.

Founder of Skinny Bitch Collective Russell Bateman says: “Despite their high fat content, eating almonds can help you lose weight as long as you restrict carbs. The reason is that almonds are packed with antioxidants and healthy fats that help modulate blood sugar and blunt hunger.”

It may be the latest hipster drink but almond milk actually dates back to medieval times when cow’s milk would spoil too quickly. It’s now commonplace at coffee bars in LA and New York and, according to Natali Stajcic of The Pressery, London is not far behind. She says: “We get emails everyday asking when we’ll be stocked in coffee shops and retailers so the interest is there.”

Almonds also work as a flour substitute. Model, nutritionist and writer of food blog Model Mange Tout, Danielle Copperman makes almond flour by grinding nuts in a blender. “I think they work especially well in making gluten-free bread or cakes,” she says. Mexican restaurant Casa Morita in Brixton makes a flourless chilli chocolate cake with ground almonds and The Pantry at 108 in Marylebone also uses them for cakes and pastries.

So the rule is: always eat almonds in moderation, but don’t underestimate the power of this edible pocket rocket.